Reactions to Roe

By Elizabeth Prata

In 1970, a pregnant single woman pseudonymously named Jane Roe, brought a class action suit challenging the constitutionality of the Texas criminal abortion laws, which forbid procuring an abortion except on medical advice for the purpose of saving the mother’s life. The case, now known as Roe v. Wade, (Henry Wade was the district attorney) took three years of meandering up the ladder through various courts to reach the Supreme Court. Jane Roe is a pseudonym for the real woman named Norma Nelson McCorvey. The case is summarized at Cornell Law School:

Jane Roe, a single woman who was residing in Dallas County, Texas, instituted this federal action in March 1970 against the District Attorney of the county. She sought a declaratory judgment that the Texas criminal abortion statutes were unconstitutional on their face, and an injunction restraining the defendant from enforcing the statutes.

Roe alleged that she was unmarried and pregnant; that she wished to terminate her pregnancy by an abortion ‘performed by a competent, licensed physician, under safe, clinical conditions’; that she was unable to get a ‘legal’ abortion in Texas because her life did not appear to be threatened by the continuation of her pregnancy; and that she could not afford to travel to another jurisdiction in order to secure a legal abortion under safe conditions. She claimed that the Texas statutes were unconstitutionally vague and that they abridged her right of personal privacy, protected by the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments. By an amendment to her complaint Roe purported to sue ‘on behalf of herself and all other women’ similarly situated.

The case made its way up the courts and was adjudicated by the Supreme Court in 1972-1973. The decision was handed down in January 1973. The Justices refused to rehear it in February 1973. The decision was that a woman’s right to an abortion was constitutionally protected.

Since that time, “The National Right to Life Committee (NRLC), the nation’s oldest pro-life organization, estimates that 63,459,781 abortions have taken place since 1973. That estimate was gathered by tracking data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute, which previously served as a research arm of the nation’s preeminent abortion provider, Planned Parenthood.” (Source).

They say ‘estimated’ because “An exact answer is hard to come by. Two organizations – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Guttmacher Institute – try to measure this, but they use different methods and publish different figures.” (Source)

Nevertheless, since that time abortions have been performed on women seeking them thinking they are just a simple procedure giving her and the father an opportunity to escape the consequence of their often immoral activity, which is sexual intercourse outside of marriage.

But it is not one alternative among many. It is not just a simple procedure. It is murder. God says Thou Shall Not Kill. (Exodus 20:13).

Pro-life activists have been working hard ever since to combat the ruling, in various ways. Some stand outside abortion clinics and plead for the baby with the mother. Others try in the legislature. Little traction seemed to be making way until finally, a conservative president was elected who had the opportunity to appoint three Justices to the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). That was President Donald J. Trump, who appointed Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett.

The decision yesterday ran along conservative lines. It was 6-3 with Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan dissenting. Justice Alito wrote the majority opinion, saying,

“We end this opinion where we began. Abortion presents a profound moral question. The Constitution does not prohibit the citizens of each State from regulating or prohibiting abortion. Roe and Casey arrogated that authority. We now overrule those decisions and return that authority to the people and their elected representatives,” source

Elections matter:

Chief Justice John Roberts. Bush appointee
Clarence Thomas. Bush appointee
Samuel Alito. Bush Appointee
Neil Gorsuch. Trump Appointee
Brett Kavanaugh. Trump Appointee
Amy Coney Barrett Trump Appointee
Stephen Breyer. Clinton Appointee
Sonia Sotomayor. Clinton Appointee
Elena Kagan. Obama Appointee
BREYER, SOTOMAYOR, and KAGAN, JJ., dissenting

Al Mohler has a 30 minute rush segment on The Briefing. He noted not only the wonderful news of the decision itself, but he also put the decision in a larger legal context. He explained that based on statements in the Opinion, the justices seem to be intent on stripping away the unconstitutional precedent bloat. The justices maintained in the Opinion they are not to legislate from the bench, as many past decisions have done, and then used as precedents for further unconstitutional decisions, effectively making a house of cards. It was stated that they are merely to interpret the law, specifically the Constitution. It was hinted that other decisions could be overturned whose legal arguments the Justices deem unconstitutionally based, including Obergefell v. Hodges. This was a 2015 decision which ruled that the fundamental right to marry is Constitutionally guaranteed to same-sex couples.

Back to yesterday’s Roe decision. Many Christians and others rejoiced at this decision. Almost immediately many states closed their abortion clinics. Others swiftly passed prepared legislation outlawing abortion. Many praised the Lord, prayed in thanks, and shared encouragements online.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to see behind the veil as the spiritual battle rages. The Lord gave Elisha’s servant a peek. What he saw were God’s holy angels in formation in chariots waiting for the battle signal. (2 Kings 6:15-17). If we could see the second heaven now, we’d see such a pitched battle that would horrify us with its evilness and drive us to our knees in thanks for our own holy regeneration. For remember, once we were as evil as the abortionists and the hordes of women who clamor to kill their babies.

But…Satan doesn’t take his apparent defeats well. He always comes back with opposition, 7X worse than before. (Luke 11:24-26; Revelation 12:13). He waits for opportune time. (Luke 4:13).

So while we rightly rejoice, praise, and sing hallelujahs this is not a time to relax our vigilance. It is a time to be extra wary.

Though onlookers suspected Roe would be struck down given the conservative majority on the Court, people became almost sure of it when, in a terrible breach, a draft of the upcoming decision was leaked to the public. The liberals went bananas. The humans that satan energizes for his evil plots reared into violent anger.

James White, ever the master wordsmith, said the day before the Decision was to be handed down: “I assume tomorrow we will see the servants of death in an orgy of anger at the disrespect of their central sacrament. Stand back and consider how far the hand of restraint has been lifted.”

Now that the decision has been finally ruled upon, the liberals are, as expected, going bananas. Here are some examples of why we must maintain vigilance-

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said, “While Republicans seek to punish and control women, Democrats will keep fighting ferociously to enshrine Roe v. Wade into the law of the land. This cruel ruling is outrageous and heart-wrenching…”

“Enshrine”. Dr. White used the word sacrament and isn’t it interesting Speaker Pelosi said “enshrine.” Don’t you find her use of the word ‘enshrined’ interesting? The false god Molech would enjoy that.

In another example, Sen. Manchin (D-WV) who voted for two of the Justices’ appointments, said: “I trusted Justice Gorsuch and Justice Kavanaugh when they testified under oath that they also believed Roe v. Wade was settled legal precedent and I am alarmed they chose to reject the stability the ruling has provided.”

“Alarmed”.

The Department of Justice had some reactions too:

“Every tool”.

The heathen will redouble their efforts. Many have already said so.

My own opinion is, whether this decision is a temporary reprieve or a spark for a final showdown, only God knows… Personally I do not believe this is a reprieve but a catalyst. I believe it will spark an upcoming pitched battle that will lead to violence, and perhaps even the rapture. (? One can hope!)

Why do I think this? Too much evidence that America is under judgment. The Lord allowed tyrannical measures to oppress the people of this nation when COVID-19 appeared. He is allowing our economy to crash. Food is getting harder to come by, as well as many hard goods. I mean, baby formula??

The delusions of the liberal left were allowed to deepen. Rational thought departed. Men can be women and women can be men? We don’t know what a woman is? “I’m not a biologist“? Gay ‘pride’ everywhere? Even the discipline of medicine cratered. Organizations Americans thought were helping us turned out to be the enemy (US House of Representatives, Senate, CDC, Department of Justice, World Health Organization, the Media…)

Further, the Lord raised up a Pelosi, a Clinton, and especially a Biden. Our current leader is a mentally deficient cognitively impaired man with a finger on the nuclear trigger. When a nation is under judgment, he gives them wicked leaders.

Did the Church pray and seek to return to God in repentance? Not so much. Denominations, which are representatives of Christ in the global church, have allowed the world to infiltrate. Though there is a faithful remnant hidden in its folds, the visible church in America is largely weak, corrupt, and pitiful. Female preachers, plagiarism, prosperity Gospel, failure to call for repentance, divorce, adultery, … The church is one of the measures God uses to restrain sin, along with government and the family. And where are these three restraining mechanisms now? Corrupt, capitulating, and faltering.

How does one know that a nation is under judgment? And if it’s under judgment is it too late for them? John MacArthur preached on these questions in March 2021. He outlined the examples of Israel in Isaiah’s time and Israel in the Apostles’ time to show that God does have a final point of no return for nations. In Acts 14 we see that He allows nations to go their own way. In Romans 1 we see that God gives them over. In “Too Late for Grace: When a Nation Rejects God“, MacArthur said,

“So when you see a nation deep in sexual sin, pervasively affirming of homosexuality, and the insanity of a reprobate mind, where they make laws to criminalize righteousness and to legalize gross evil, you know that nation’s under judgment.”

As mentioned, the devil does not take his setbacks well. There will be severe pushback. I am celebrating, of course, but while I have my hands lifted in thanks and praise, I also have my eyes on the horizon, for what I think is coming.

If I had a motto for these days it would be, “Rejoice, but Remain Ready”. The battle will continue. The Department of Homeland Security has already warned about likely violence.

The Department of Homeland Security’s intelligence arm said in a memo on Friday that domestic violent extremism is “likely” in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Why it matters: Violence could take place in multiple locations for weeks as states make changes to their abortion laws, according to the memo, which was obtained by Axios. (Source)

What it means is, don’t let down your guard. Sometimes Christians are short sighted, taking one victory and relaxing their guard in thinking that it’s over. The devil never relaxes, ever. He is always prowling (1 Peter 5:8), walking up and down upon the earth. (Job 1:7). Of course I’m no prophet and I have no insight into God’s mind except for what I see in His word. Perhaps He will put His hand upon America again and turn us from the brink. I’ll celebrate that if it happens.

If I were to have another motto, it would be “Hope for the best and prepare for the worst”. But as Christians, what is ‘the worst”? The worst is already the best, because we have the best: Jesus. We have knowledge that no matter what happens, it is for our good of those who love Him and for His glory.

So, Christian, celebrate! Then get back to work.